Why My Position Paper would be on Henrik Ibsen's "A Doll's House"?

When we were told to write a position paper by Dr. Edwin, a few of my favourite books came across my mind. Of course Jane Austen's work would be on the list, yet I would not discuss about her work in my position paper because I wanted to reserve those work for my research paper. So, I finally decided to write a position paper on Henrik Ibsen's "A Doll's House"!

When the first time I read about Henrik Ibsen's "A Doll's House", I found the play interesting. Athough the text was rather lengthy, the twisted plot and complicated characters' traits still made the story very engaging to me. This play made me ponder over a lot of matters!

In fact, Henrik Ibsen was known as the "father of modern drama" because he elevated theatre from entertainment to a forum for exposing social problems. Ibsen broke away from the romantic tradition of his time -- his writing pieces were full of realistic portrayals of individual characters and his focus on psychological concerns. Henrik Ibsen sought to portray the real world, especially the position of woman in society.

Ibsen believed that women were best suited to be mothers and wives, but at the same time, he had an eye for injustice. He knew that Helmer's demeaning treatment of Nora was a common problem in the society of that era.

Initially, Henrik Ibsen presented the play in a rather conventional way. There were a lovely and docile wife, Nora, and a hardworking and responsible husband, Torvald. The wife took care of the household and three little children while the husband worked hard and earned money outside. The most important thing was -- Nora and Torvald had a close rapport in their marriage and seemed to be deeply in love with each other. What a picture of a happy family!

Yet, what attracted me more while reading "A Doll's House" was the extraordinary and unexpected ending of the play. In the end of the play, Nora resolved to leave Torvald. She was aware that true wedlock was impossible between them because neither of them loved the other, or was even capable of doing so. Nora realized that, before she could be a wife, she must first discover herself through venturing out into the world. Nora left an unformed soul, determined to become a full person rather than the doll of the male figures in her life.

By: Chuah Kar Wooi (134185)

B. Ed. (TESL)